Call Number:

UPT 50 B931

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center

Extent:

3.2 cubic feet (3 record cartons. 1 slim document box, 1 oversize folder)

Language:

English

Date:

1984-2006 (inclusive)

Creator:

Buhler-Wilkerson, Karen, 1944-2010 and University of Pennsylvania. School of Nursing

Form:

Administrative records, Architectural drawings (visual works), Audiovisual materials, Minutes (administrative records), Correspondence, Lectures, Reports, Syllabi, Transparencies, and Videocassettes

Abstract:

This collection documents the academic work of Karen Buhler-Wilkerson (1944-2010), a Registered Nurse, Professor of Community Health, Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, historian, author, and co-creator of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Living Independently for Elders program (LIFE). The collection is categorized into three general series of materials: School of Nursing, Programs, and Teaching. Together, they offer insight into her academic work, particularly her teaching, historical research, and Buhler-Wilkerson's interest in the LIFE program.

Karen Buhler-Wilkerson (1944-2010) was a Registered Nurse, a Professor of Community Health, Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, historian, author, and the co-creator of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Living Independently for Elders program (LIFE). She was born in Philadelphia in 1944, but grew up in Georgia and South Carolina. She received BSN and MN degrees from Emory University in 1966 and 1969 respectively, and a Ph.D. of Health Care History and Policy in 1984 from the University of Pennsylvania.

Buhler-Wilkerson joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 where she taught home care nursing and health care history for over 30 years. In 1995 she became Director of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, which she held until 2006. In 2005, Buhler-Wilkerson was a recipient of Penn's Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. She published 40 articles and 3 books, twice winning the Lavinia L. Dock Award from the American Association for the History of Nursing. First, in 1989 for her article in the American Journal of Public Health, titled, "Public Health Nursing: In Sickness or in Health?" and then in 2001 for her book, No Place Like Home: A History of Nursing and Home Care in the United States. She curated two exhibitions on the visualization of nursing, the first in 2000 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that explored how nursing was depicted in various art forms, and the second in 2003 at Philadelphia's Fabric Workshop on the history of the nurses' uniform.

In 1998, Karen Buhler-Wilkerson and Mary Naylor created Penn Nursing's Living Independently for Elders program (LIFE), which provided comprehensive daily care to hundreds of poor and vulnerable West Philadelphia residents, which allowed them to continue living independently at home. In 2009, Buhler-Wilkerson remarked that, "This is such an un-American approach to care, which remains so fragmented in the United States, but we made it our job to demonstrate that we could save money and keep people at home."

Karen Buhler-Wilkerson died February 13, 2010.

Sources:

https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v56/n23/obit.html

https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/about/history/

This collection documents the academic work of Karen Buhler-Wilkerson, a former faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing. The collection is categorized into the three general series of teaching, programs, and the School of Nursing, which are detailed below.

Series I. School of Nursing records

This series contains records from Karen Buhler-Wilkerson's activities within the School of Nursing, outside of her teaching. This includes participation on several committees, correspondence related to various topics of routine department business, and department plans and reports. Some material in this series is restricted. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II. Programs

This series contains presentations, reports, and other documentation from two related programs: LIFE or Living Independently for Elders, and PACE or Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

Series III. Teaching records

This series contains material related to Karen Buhler-Wilkerson activities as a teacher, which is broken into three sub-series. Access to some student records is restricted.

Subseries A. Courses

This subseries consists primarily of course syllabi and other materials, including correspondence, sample exams, and presentations. Arranged chronologically.

Subseries B. Lectures

This subseries contains transcripts, notes, slides, and other materials from lectures and other talks given by Karen Buhler-Wilkerson. It's mostly unclear specifically where or when these talks were given, but they appear to be for an academic or professional medical audience. Some topics are repeated, particularly on home care, but each appears to be a distinct lecture or talk. Arranged chronologically.

Subseries C. Research materials

This subseries contains various materials related to Karen Buhler-Wilkerson's research, particularly on home care. These include her own notes and collected secondary sources, such as clippings, reports, articles, and other materials primarily on home care topics. Arranged chronologically.

Series I. School of Nursing records

Series II. Programs

Series III. Teaching records

Subseries A. Courses

Subseries B. Lectures

Subseries C. Research materials